WhenPokémonreleased its anime adaptation, it chose to follow a new protagonist rather than Red, the star of the original games. Enter Ash Ketchum, a ten-year-old from Pallet Town with big ambitions to become a Pokémon Master. With his first Pokémon and best friend, Pikachu, he traveled to numerous different regions, made friends with both humans and Pokémon and eventually defeated Leon, the number one ranked trainer in the world.
While Ash and Pikachu arean iconic anime duo, Ash trained and befriended many other Pokémon on his journey to the top. He tended to only capture Pokémon who wanted to join him and formed a unique training regiment and battle style for each of them. Many of them also had personal journeys of their own, which led to strong character arcs and moments of victory that ingrained these Pokémon into the memories of all who followed their journey.These are the best Ash Ketchum Pokémon in the aime, ranked by strength and memorability.
First Appearance: “Snack Attack”
During his trip through the Orange Islands,Ash and his companions, Misty and Tracy, stop at the Seven Grapefruit Islands. Unfortunately, the islands are plagued by hungry Snorlax swimming between each one to clear them of fruit. He seems unstoppable in his pursuit of food, but fortunately, a wild Jigglypuff puts him to sleep so Ash can capture him.
Snorlax’s appetite is legendary: he once consumed a year’s worth of Pokémon food in one sitting, which prompted Professor Oak to create a special kind of Pokéblocks to fill it up quickly. When not eating or sleeping, Snorlax has proved himself to beone of Ash’s most impressive fightersdespite his massive size. He can move with surprising agility, absorb many physical blows thanks to his bulk, and even use six moves in battle instead of the usual four. Though his personality wasn’t as fleshed out as others, Snorlax wasa treat every time he appearedfor his comedic value and impressive battle record.
First Appearance: “Tree’s a Crowd”
Despite his best efforts, a wild Treeko was unable to save his home tree from dying, though he found some closure when the tree left behind a single seed. Treeko processed his emotions by battling Ash, who captured him and added him to his Hoenn team. Thanks to Ash’s training, Treeko learned Bullet Seed and evolved into a Grovile and later Sceptile during the Battle Frontier.
Sceptile presented himself asaloof and level-headed most of the time, but his pride could lead him to moments of emotional extremes. This is best seen when he became depressed at failing to win the heart of a Meganium, causing him to lose his ability to fight and grow so frustrated that he bashed his head against a tree. Fortunately, Ash helped him out of this funk, and Sceptille helped him several times during the Battle Frontier. His greatest achievement, however, wasknocking out Tobias' Darkraiduringone of Pokémon’s most infuriating battles.
First Appearance: “In The Shadow of Zekrom!”
When Professor Juniper presented a new trainer named Trip with his choice of starter Pokémon, he broke the heart of the Water-type Oshawott when he picked the Grass-type Snivy. Shortly after he departed, Oshawott met Ash and became instantly smitten with the trainer. He escaped from Juniper’s lab to follow him, and when Ash found out, he asked the Professor to transfer Oshawott’s Pokéball to him.
While it would have been amazingto see Oshawott evolve, the fact that he remained in his small, adorable first stage complimented his larger-than-life personality. He was alwayseager to receive love and admiration, which led to him often biting off more than he could chew in fights or getting his heart broken when a manipulative Pokémon took advantage of his naïveté. Still, no matter how many times he fell,Oshawott always picked himself back up, demonstrating great perseverance.
First Appearance: “Caring for a Mystery!”
When Ash battled against another trainer in Vermillion City, he found himself compelled toward a Pokémon egg that had come from Sinnoh. His presence caused the egg to hatch into a Riolu, and though he initially ran away and fought wild Pokémon, Ash eventually caught up to him and earned his trust. Later, when Chairman Rose attempted to usher in the Darkest Day, Riolu fought with Ash against his Stee-type Pokémon and evolved into Lucario.
Lucario is one ofthe most iconic Sinnoh Pokémon, and fans have wanted Ash to get one since Sinnoh. He grew from being a headstrong kid eager to prove his independence to a stoic and proud warrior capable of Mega Evolution. What also helped Lucario stand out from Ash’s other Pokémon focused on personal strength werethe relationships he formed with his teammates. Indeed, Lucario and Pikachu had a humorous rivalry over who Ash would use in upcoming battles, while his friendship with Goh’s Cinderace was one of opposites, as the rabbit’s goofy and cheerful personality clashed with Lucario’s quiet and introspective warrior code.
6Incineroar
First Appearance: “Alola to New Adventure!”
As Ash toured the Alola region, he met a wild Litten who stole food in Hau’oli City to care for his mentor and father figure, an aging Stoutland who taught him how to use the powerful move, Fire Fang. When Stoutland eventually died, Ash cared for Littlen until he came to terms with the loss and agreed to be caught. Litten developed a fierce rivalry with the Incineroar belonging to the famed Pokémon Battle Royal trainer, the Masked Royal (really Professor Kukui), which fuelled Litten’s evolution into Torracat. The two had a final showdown during the exhibition match at the end of the Alola League, where they had a double knockout, but the force of the battle allowed him to evolve into Incineroar.
Litten’s rivalry with Kukui’s Incineroar gave him a new sense of purpose and a rival to use Stoutland’s techniques on.
Fire-type Pokémon with sad backstories sadly became a recurring theme among Ash’s Pokémon, but Incineroar remained fresh byfocusing not on abuse but on overcoming grief. His time on the streets left him emotionally distant and mistrustful of anyone besides Stoutland, but the dog’s death prompted Incineroar to slowly open up to Ash, though he wasn’t above burning him when annoyed. His rivalry with Kukui’s Incineroar gave him a new sense of purpose and a rival to use Stoutland’s techniques on, and thus, his evolution after tying with Incineroar signifies how much he has grown from the orphaned Litten he was when he first met Stoutland.
5Infernape
First Appearance: “When Pokémon Worlds Collide!”
Before he joined Ash’s team, Chimchar was trained by Paul, one of thebestPokémonanime-only characters, in the hopes that he could master the raw power unleashed by his Blaze ability. Unfortunately, Paul’s brutal and uncaring training methods only served to traumatize Chimchar until he gave up on the Chimp Pokémon and released him back into the wild. However, Ash offered to let Chimchar join his team, where he was able to evolve into Monferno and finally Infernape.
Ash’s Infernape isone of the show’s best examples of triumph against impossible odds. Due to how uncontrollable he could get due to his Blaze ability, Infernape started with low self-esteem and made no better thanks to Paul’s Draconian training style. It took him some time to realize Ash didn’t want to punish him for failure, and this positive encouragement led to Infernape becoming eager to battle new opponents and get stronger. The journey culminated in a final showdown with Paul, where Infernape defeated his powerful Electivire in one of the anime’s best battles.
When Ash first met Squirtle, he led a gang called the Squirtle Squad, made up of Squirtles abandoned by their trainers, who caused chaos in a small town. However, the Squad changed their ways when they helped to put out a fire caused by a battle with Team Rocket, so the town made them honorary firefighters. Since Ash saved his life earlier in the fight, Squirtle joined his team but eventually returned to his squad to help them become the best firefighters they could be.
Squirtle isone of Kanto’s most iconic Pokémon. Ash’s Squirtle wasa lovable goofball and troublemaker. Beneath his silly attitude was a natural leader who was quick to leap into action and help those in need, such as a community of Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise put to sleep by Jigglypuff. His loyalty to Ash is undeniable, and even after he returned to lead the Squirtle Squad, he made a point to help out Ash with tournaments and the Battle Frontier.
3Bulbasaur
First Appearance: “Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village”
When Misty tried to catch a wild Oddish, she incurred the wrath of Bulbasaur, who served as a guardian of a hidden Pokémon Village. Although Bulbasaur distrusted humans, Ash managed to win his respect by saving him from Team Rocket’s attempt to kidnap the wild Pokémon. Ash then defeated Bulbasaur in battle and added him to his team, where he became one of his most dependable members in his adventures in Kanto and the Orange Islands.
Bulbasaur was already pretty iconic, but the anime made him better. He started as a bit of a loner and a cynic, seeing the worst in most situations and boasting about his independence compared to his teammates. Over time, he mellowed out considerably and becamea natural leader among Ash’s Pokémon, settling disputes between them at Professor Oak’s lab. He had the chance to evolve into Ivysaur in the episode “Bulbasaur’s Mysterious Garden” but refused, and Ash stood by his decision, showing that Ash valued his friend’s choice over power.
First Appearance: “Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!”
Due to his desire to grow stronger, a wild Froakie was banished from his pond and given to Professor Sycamore, who told him that he could grow stronger by bonding with a trainer. Unfortunately, Froakie was very selective about his trainer and always returned to Sycamore due to disobedience. When Ash arrived in Lumiose City, Froakie helped him thwart the plans of Team Rocket and became his first Kalos Pokémon. In time, he evolved into Froagadier and Greninja andunlocked a unique formcalled Ash-Greninja that rivaled Mega Evolution in terms of power.
Besides Pikachu,Greninja has the closest bond with Ash, demonstrated by the Ash-Greninja form. It comes from the two sharing many of the same values and goals: they are constantly looking to push themselves to go beyond their limit and care deeply for their friends.Greninja bore witness to some of the anime’s greatest battles, including a final confrontation with his rival, Sawyer’s Mega Sceptile, and later, a close defeat to Alain’s Mega Charizard X. Though Ash released him to protect the Kalos region and healed it after Team Flare’s evil plan, Greninja returned to help Ash’s Lucario gain mastery over Aura, showing his skills as a teacher.
1Charizard
First Appearance: “Charmander – The Stray Pokémon”
Originally owned by a cruel trainer named Damien, Charmander joined Ash after he saved Charmander from a storm in one ofPokémon’s saddest episodes. He became one of Ash’s most eager battlers, but upon evolving into Charmeleon, his personality shifted from a lovable child to an arrogant bully. Things got even worse when he became a Charizard, where he outright refused many of Ash’s commands, which led to Ash’s heartbreaking loss at the Pokémon League.
Therelationship between Ash and Charizard is the most complicated of all his Pokémon, but fortunately, Ash regained his trust during his time in the Orange Islands. His love for battle and need to prove himself caused him and Ash to part ways in Johto, where he stayed in the Charicific Valley to train with the powerful wild Charizard who lived there. He would break from his training to help Ash in numerous battles, from fighting an Entei in the filmPokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unownto aiding Ash in the Johto League and Battle Frontier before rejoining him permanently in Unova.
